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Contrary to speculation, it has now been reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, will not travel to India for the ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad.
This meeting will happen across two days, May 30 & 31. The IPL 2026 final is also scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad on May 31. All attendees of the Board meeting will also be expected to attend the IPL final.
Mohsin Naqvi will not travel to India
Mohsin Naqvi was instrumental in ensuring that the PCB, the BCCI, and the ICC reached a three-way agreement regarding the two nations' participation in the ICC events hosted by either of them.
At the Champions Trophy last year, it was decided that India and Pakistan's cricket teams would not travel to each other's countries for ICC tournaments until 2027. India did not go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, playing all their matches in Dubai instead. Similarly, Pakistan played all their matches in Sri Lanka for both the Women's ODI World Cup and the Men's T20 World Cup held in India.
Now, Mohsin Naqvi himself has decided not to travel to Ahmedabad, as reported by PTI.
Mohsin Naqvi not invited to IPL final
The report by PTI also mentions that, contrary to reports in Pakistani media, Moshin Naqvi was not personally invited by the BCCI to the IPL final. If Naqvi were to come to India, it would simply be to attend the Board meeting and not the IPL final.
Apart from Mohsin Naqvi, two other ICC Board members will attend the meeting virtually via video conference. The ICC has always allowed representatives of member boards to attend meetings virtually if they cannot do so in person.
If Naqvi does participate virtually, it would be in line with the ICC's standard practices.
ICC Board meeting postponed and relocated
Originally, the ICC Board meeting was scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar, near the end of March. But the USA-Iran war forced the ICC to not just postpone the meeting, but relocate it as well.
Now, the meeting will be held in Ahmedabad almost two months after its original date. In an interview with RevSportz earlier this month, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal had said that the ICC Board meeting being relocated to Ahmedabad was one of the reasons the BCCI decided to shift the IPL final over there from Bengaluru.
The ICC Board meeting is now expected to include ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee members, and the apex body's senior leadership.
The biggest agenda was reportedly the broadcasting rights, as ICC's deal with JioStar is set to end in 2027.
Originally, the ICC had issued an official statement on why the Board meeting was scheduled in Doha.
“The meetings will bring together ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee Members and senior leadership as part of the organisation’s ongoing governance calendar, providing an important opportunity to deliberate over key matters pertaining to the present and future of the global game,” the ICC had stated in the official release.
“The decision to stage the meetings in Doha reflects the ICC’s growing engagement with cricket in Qatar and the country’s wider sporting ecosystem. The ICC's support of and collaboration with the Qatar Cricket Association and Olympic Committee, Cricket in Qatar has fuelled remarkable progress for the sport in recent years,” it added.
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